2010 Mets – Chokers or Champions?

That graph to the left says it all. The game yesterday was pretty much over by the fifth inning. With the way Roy Halladay was pitching, you could say it was over by the fourth.

I was looking forward to a pitching duel between, arguably, the best pitcher in the National League and Mike Pelfrey, the current NL ERA leader. Until the fourth inning the matchup was living up to the hype.

Then the old Mets showed up. The ones who choke in critical situations. Two pop-ups in the fourth that couldn’t be handled and the game begins to unravel.

The Phillies proved once again they can came back from a bad game. True champions do that. They also showed the world the Mets still struggle with choking and they did it on national TV.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia

Johan Santana is going to need a strong game today and needs to start the process of removing the choke label from this team. This team needs to pick itself up, brush itself off and get back out there. No trash talk, no excuses, just play the game to the best of their abilities.

Today’s game with Santana on the mound will answer a lot of questions. Will these Mets be able to come back from a bad game in true champion style? Can the Mets finally throw down the choker label and hold onto first place in the process?

Today’s game just might answer the question, “Is this team a Choker or a Champion?” They will either leave Philly in first or the Phillies would have put the Mets in their rightful place. I know it’s early but this, psychologically, is an important game.